Ollie Johnston, the last surviving member of Walt Disney's legendary team of original animators, has died at the age of 95 in Washington state in the northwest United States.

Johnston was a student at a Los Angeles-based art institute when he was hired by Disney in 1935 to work at his fledgling studio. 

He was a member of the studio's acclaimed animating team, nicknamed the "Nine Old Men" by Disney, who worked on several classic features beginning in the 1930s, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, Fantasia, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Lady and the Tramp.

Johnston retired from Disney in 1978, and devoted the next several years to lecturing and writing with Frank Thomas, his close friend and Disney colleague.

He was the first animator to be honored with the prestigious National Medal of Arts in 2005.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.